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Good afternoon. This is the Final NOTUS newsletter for April 22, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!

THE LATEST

How quickly will the global economy recover after the U.S. war with Iran ends? Donald Trump has insisted that prices will drop almost immediately after hostilities end — but according to a classified Pentagon assessment presented to Congress this week, it could take up to six months to clear the Strait of Hormuz of mines and fully reopen the crucial global shipping corridor to commercial traffic.

• The estimate was shared by senior U.S. military officials during a classified briefing of the House Armed Services Committee, The Washington Post reported.

Iran also said it seized two cargo ships today near the strait. The attack brought new uncertainty into a fragile ceasefire that Trump extended indefinitely yesterday.

Who won the redistricting war? After Virginia voters approved a new congressional map that is more favorable to Democrats, it looks like a draw, NOTUS’ Paul Kane reports.

• The Cook Political Report redistricting tracker predicts that the best-case scenario for Republicans is a four-seat pickup — the same number that Democrats could pick up under their best-case scenario. In other words, so far it’s a statistical wash.

THE HILL

Rep. David Scott, a Democrat from Georgia, has died at the age of 80. Scott’s passing, announced by his office, marks the fifth death of a sitting lawmaker this Congress.

• The veteran lawmaker served more than 20 years in the House and in 2021 became the first Black chair of the Agriculture Committee.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tangled with several of his Republican critics on Capitol Hill today during a pair of hearings. Lawmakers grilled the health secretary on a number of issues, including whether Trump’s nominee for CDC director, Erica Schwartz, would be able to make her own vaccine-related decisions — something he refused to commit to earlier this week.

• He told Sen. Bill Cassidy that Schwartz would be allowed to operate independently of other political appointees — or even fire people who have undermined trust in immunizations.

• Democrats also pressed Kennedy on a number of things, including the Trump administration’s deals with pharmaceutical companies, the cost of promotional videos created by Kennedy’s office and his stance on the measles vaccine.

THE ADMINISTRATION

A federal judge tossed the embattled Kash Patel’s other defamation lawsuit — the one he filed against former MSNBC contributor Frank Figliuzzi for saying that Patel had “been visible at nightclubs far more than” at FBI headquarters.

• U.S. District Judge George Hanks Jr. wrote that with context, the comment “cannot have been perceived by a person of ordinary intelligence as stating actual facts about Patel.”

The Trump administration may bail out Spirit Airlines. A deal under discussion could include a loan of up to $500 million for Spirit and equity for the U.S. government, The Wall Street Journal reported.

• Sean Duffy seems skeptical: “If no one else wants ⁠to buy them, why would we buy them?” the transportation secretary told Reuters.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr wants to put a warning label on TV programs that feature transgender characters and themes. His agency is seeking public comment on whether TV ratings, which typically warn of violence or sexual content, should also flag programs with themes that explore gender identity, according to a public notice posted today.

• The notice also floated the idea of adding representatives from faith-based organizations to the FCC’s TV Oversight Management Board.

HEAR US OUT

Thank you for reading! Today’s newsletter was produced by Kelly Poe and Andrew Burton. If you liked it, please forward it to a friend. If someone shared it with you, please subscribe — it’s free! Got a tip or comments to share? Email us at finalnotus@notus.com.